By José Gonzalez
With the weather inviting you outdoors, now's a great time to check out many of the great attractions around the city without shattering your finances. Here are a couple of deals and discounts that can take you to some of most popular attractions in Toronto while getting to enjoy the thrill of avoiding full priced admission. [Photo credit: courtesy of the Power Plant]
Art galleries and museums
The AGO and the Aga Khan museum both let you get your dose of culture for free late on Wednesdays. Free admission is available at the AGO from 6 pm to 9 pm, and at the Aga Khan Museum from 4 pm to 8 pm. You won't have access to any special exhibitions, but you can enjoy the many highlights of their respective permanent collections.
The ROM offers a discounted admission on Fridays at 5:30 pm for ROM Summer Fridays and full-time students attending a Canadian post-secondary institution get free admission on Tuesdays.
Every Friday admission to the Gardiner Museum is half price ($7.50) from 4 pm to 9 pm. And, if you happen to be a post-secondary student with a valid ID, you can get in for free all day on Tuesday. While you're there, you can get a guided tour, which is free regardless of any admission deal.
Far Enough Farm
Animals at the zoo are fun, but you can’t get up close and personal with a tiger or rhino. Rather than risk your life trying to scale the tiger cage, you can go hands-on with animals at the Far Enough Farm on Toronto Island. You can try petting a fjord horse, a Cameroon dwarf goat, a llama and more than 30 other animals.
Black Creek Pioneer Village Village
Take a step back in time to experience what it was like for some of the earliest European settlers in North America. Admission is free on Tuesdays after 2 pm, but not during any special events that might be happening. Check the official website [https://blackcreek.ca/] before heading out.
Cheap family movies
Cinplex is screening an affordable family film every Saturday at 11 am, including movies such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and The Muppet Movie. Tickets run a mere $2.99 per person, and all proceeds go towards Free the Children, a charity that specializes in helping children around the world.
Riverdale Farm
What better time of year to visit the city's farm than summer? This treasure nestled away in the east end lets you get a glimpse of farm animals and chat with some of the farmers as they go about their daily business. For anyone who has always lived in the city, this is a unique chance to see what rural life is like.
Power Plant
The waterfront staple is set to reopen June 23 to launch its Summer 2017 season. The featured exhibition is Ydessa Hendeles' The Milliner's Daughter, which will be on both floors of the gallery. In addition to that, a number of special workshops and events will be held throughout the summer for art fans young and old. Admission is free.
William Meany Maze
The beloved Centre Island attraction returned in 2015 after a few years' hiatus, and now that it's had a few years to grow it's really starting to feel like something you can get lost in. It's spread across 15,000 square feet and takes a few minutes to navigate if you know where you're going, and quite a bit longer if you don't. Save yourself the spoilers and leave the map at home.
Attractions Ontario
This handy website offers deals on attractions around Ontario, including several within Toronto itself. Some of the highlights include 2 for 1 admission to the Bata Shoe Museum, $12 off Canada's Wonderland and more than a dozen other spots in and around the city.
Parks Canada Discovery Pass
In honour of Canada’s 150th, Parks Canada is offering a free pass that grants free admission to more than two hundred historical sites, national parks and marine conservations areas across the country. The list of sites near Toronto include the HMCS Haida, the Peterborough Lift Lock, Fort George and the Southwold Earthworks National Historic Site, an archaeological preserve containing the remains of an ancient village of Attiwandaron First Nations peoples.
Learn more about where to visit with your Parks Canada Discovery Pass
Museum and Art Pass
These sweet passes give you free access to the museums, art galleries and historic sites around the city. They're available at all Toronto Public Libraries, but only on a first come first serve basis, so try to get yours early. Highlights include the ROM, Ontario Science Centre and Toronto Zoo.
Ontario Fun Pass
The popular pass includes admission discounts 18 sites across the province. In the GTA you get coupons for the ROM, the AGO and the Ontario Science Centre.
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